Permaculture is “site specific”. Are the important characteristics of “a permaculture garden” circular lines, or things that might be more difficult to express in sound bites? We’ll take a participatory look at what are likely to be common characteristics for most permaculture gardens, no matter what the climate or resource base may be. We hope to help participants achieve clarity in how to take their garden to the next level, whether they are already gardening or planning their first.

A 20 minute intro: wild gardening defined, including ethnobotany and crop diversity, native allies, staple crops, hand tools, nitrogen and micronutrients, and compost, then ten minutes for feedback and questions, then the group will physically layout a small intensive garden using a proven fast, foolproof method. Then we’ll process the whole thing, taking the permaculture principles as a guide to review.

Presented By: Rick Valley

The GROW BIOINTENSIVE method works to stabilize both current and future food systems by producing a complete diet and growing soil fertility 60x faster than nature with 90% fewer inputs, organic methodology, and appropriate technology. In doing so, we are able to inspire and empower communities to regain their food security; managing a strategy to grow more food in their Zone 1. This workshop will provide participants with the eight principles which guide immediate garden planning and implementation, as well as long-term sustainable food raising techniques. Through the use of our eight principles as presented in both a presentation and a hands-on activity, we hope to empower participants with the tools to create abundant, low-cost, low-tech, self-sustaining farm designs which feed both people and soil.

Presented By: Matt Drewno

Learn More About Matt Drewno

John will explain how to choose from thousands of possible plant selections for use in our regenerative landscapes, and where to find them. Learn how to source from back yard plant swaps to commercial nurseries and international germplasm repositories, including legalities, precautions, ethics, and building local community resilience.

Presented By: John Valenzuela

Friday, September 16th | 10:00 – 11:00 AM | Zocalo

2017 Workshop:Ecological Vitality

2016 Convergence Workshop: The Evolution of Green Acres Urban Village

Come learn how to use appropriate cooking technologies such as solar cookers and fuel-efficient rocket stoves to cook a completely fossil-fuel-free meal!

Everyday enough sunlight hits the earth to exceed world annual energy demand several times over! Solar thermal energy is a readily available and renewable way to cook our food; dehydrate our fruits and vegetables; and pasteurize water. Come check out a variety of appropriate cooking technologies and discover the multitude of benefits of solar cooking and fuel-efficient rocket stoves – both for our health and the health of our planet. We will discuss the design and construction of these technologies and enjoy a delicious and completely fossil-fuel-free meal! We will also discuss the vision for SolutionCraft – a permaculture food truck!

Brennan is purchasing the world’s largest mobile solar oven, the Villager Sun Oven. This oven can cook 100s of loaves of bread / over 1000 meals a day with no fuel costs, using energy directly from the sun. Being able to offer an ecological kitchen that doesn’t depend on fossil fuels is critical to Building Resilient Communities! And helps build bridges under our common SOLution, the source of all our energy, the sun!

Presented By: Brennan Bird

2016 Convergence Panel: The Revolution Must Be Funded! Finding Resources for Your Organization & Projects

Bonita Ford – Permaculture Eastern Ontario & LivinghEARTH: Bonita aims to inspire people, giving them tools for healthier living. She teaches permaculture, Reiki and Nonviolent Communication, and has led workshops around the world for over 13 years. She facilitates community design projects and does design coaching with individuals and small businesses. She also does 1-on-1 Reiki and spiritual coaching for individuals. Bonita has written for the Permaculture Design Magazine (and The Activist). She co-founded Permaculture Eastern Ontario (formerly Permaculture Institute of Eastern Ontario) and Transition Perth. Bonita and her partner Sébastien live in Perth, Ontario, which is unceded Algonquin Territory on Turtle Island. The land they call home is 1/5 of an acre in town. They grow most of their own food and are active in their local community. www.livinghEARTH.net

2016 Presentation: Learning from Our Indigenous Friends, Teachers & Allies

Brennan Blazer Bird is an ecological educator, natural builder, and solutioncrafter who has led a diverse array of artistic and ecological projects around the world. For the past 5 years Brennan has taught youth and community members to transform plastic waste into an artistic community-gathering place (www.earthbench.org). Brennan is also starting a fossil-fuel-free ecological kitchen classroom called SolutionCraft (www.solutioncraft.org). Currently Brennan lives at an ecological collective in Oakland, CA and is a full-time Garden and Sustainability Educator at Alta Vista School in San Francisco.

2016 Convergence Workshop: Appropriate Cooking Technology – The Fossil-Fuel-Free Meal!

Cannabis farming has not embraced sustainable practices, but with the evolving regulations, sustainable farming is becoming more common place.

In the past, cannabis farmers have not been considered to be sustainable, let alone farmers. Due to legal and enforcement issues, Cannabis farmers have struggled in the past to plan and develop beyond 12 to 18 months. As the State passing new legislation and develops licensing requirements and local jurisdictions do the same, the farming environment for the cannabis cultivator begins to stabilize. Sustainable and regenerative practices are being embraced by the farmer. The investment horizon for the cannabis farmer is beginning to extend to multiple years. Cannabis farmers can now realize returns on investments in terms of years instead of months.

As State legislation produces new regulations and licenses, cannabis cultivation has now become a commodity crop under the State Department of Food and Agriculture.  Sustainable practices are being embraced. This workshop brings cannabis farmers and sustainable practice service providers together to discuss this transition.

Presented By: Arthur Deicke, Larry Shaeffer, Asa Shaeffer, Naaman Hagman, Daisy Ozim

Christopher is a leadership and life coach, facilitator, workshop leader, and Founding Co-Director of Ecology of Leadership Programs at the Regenerative Design Institute in Bolinas, California. Along with decades of deep nature connection and ceremonial work, he also served as a biologist on dozens of wildlife conservation projects over 20 years. He has been lecturer, collaborator, and presenter at numerous local, regional, as well as national conferences and institutions – such as Bioneers, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), the California Sustainability in Higher Education Conference, and Permaculture Convergences – on topics of sustainability, change-management, inner permaculture, and heart- and nature-inspired leadership. www.christopherkuntzsch.com

2016 Convergence Workshop: Love in Action – Exploring Your Ecology of Leadership

The Cogarden platform enables a ‘Do It Together’ food gardening experience. Connecting food growers that share fence, or are miles from each other. Cogardeners help in creating a Community to Consumer food supply chain, that makes neighborhoods resilient, and culturally diverse. Sunil, Founder, Cogarden will introduce the Cogardening framework, its socio-cultural impact, and eco-commerce potential. Join us. Let’s Cogarden.

Presented by: Sunil R Nair and Rob Bennaton

Sunday September 18th | 3:30 – 4:30 PM | Bioregional Hub

Mario will introduce the Community Food Forestry Initiative (CFFI), a national initiative funded by USDA Forest Service Community & Urban Forestry grant. The initiative takes a unique and innovative approach to address the challenge of urban and community tree canopy loss due to re/development by providing planners, developers, policy-makers, designers and practitioners a comprehensive set of resources that integrate food-producing trees and plants into the urban landscape. In addition, it will help raise public and professional awareness around the issue of using urban places to grow food.

Presented By: Mario Yanez

Sunday, September 18th | 4:10 – 4:30 PM | Solar Panel: El Sol

Don Hall is the founder and Executive Director of Transition Sarasota. Previously, he worked for two years as the Education and Outreach Coordinator for Transition Colorado (now, the Local Food Shift Group), the first official Transition Initiative in North America and a statewide hub. Don holds a Master’s in Environmental Leadership from Naropa University and is a certified Permaculture Designer and US Transition Trainer.

2016 Convergence Workshop: Effective Collaboration

2017 Workshop:My Biome and Me

Permaculture has a lot to offer the ecological restoration movement (and vice versa). What would a permaculture approach look like? How can permaculture contribute to grassroots earth repair movements? Let’s set up a working group to work at and after the Convergence.

The goal is to build bridges between groups working on ecorestoration. nationally and internationally. In cities, rural, etc.

Presented By: Michael Pilarski

This workshop will teach participant how to craft the best diet for their being, and grow and prepare the most important foods.

Friday Oct 6| 11am| Mediterranean Garden 

Presented By: Adrian Carroll

Many of our most common garden weeds contain highly valuable medicinal properties. These wayside weeds living all around us possess special nutritional and healing powers that often surpass cultivated plants. Traditionally these medicines were eaten as foods in cultures across the globe. In this workshop we will discuss medicinal plants that can easily be incorporated into our everyday diets for maximum health benefits as well as learn some simple recipes and methods of preparation. We will also discuss the nutritional benefits of home grown animal products and how to raise process and preserve a complete diet on a homestead.

Food as Medicine is relevant to building resilience because it is essential we have healthy bodies in order to create healthy communities! We can use permaculture methods to understand how specific plants can build and replenish soil the same way they nourish and replenish our bodies. Participants will gain a basic knowledge of plants they can identify in the wild or grow at home that are multi-functional as food, medicine, fertilizer and regenerative tools. This topic can build bridges between generations of young and old as we remember the indigenous knowledge of our ancestors, build bridges between cultures as we learn common and different uses for these plants and can build bridges between nutritional and wellness philosophies as we take our health into our own hands and empower our selves and our communities to grow much of our own medicine! Food as Medicine will be both lecture, demonstration and question/answer.

Presented By: Maya Blow

In this learn-shop, participants will learn about two major projects funded directly and indirectly by the USDA to explore the notion of undoing racism in the Detroit food system and empowering youth in Madison and Milwaukee to take an active role in their communities in food policy work.

This topic is particularly relevant as much of our work in food justice can benefit from conversations on equity, race and class. This topic is especially related to the theme of building bridges because rather than just focus on the issues or challenges, we will also explore how the work in Detroit and Madison are taking an active approach with our most vulnerable and marginalized citizens. As a teacher and skilled facilitator, this participatory, hands-on learn-shop will build community and shared knowledge while at the same time provide fresh ideas for complex challenges in our food system.

Presented By: Nicodemus Ford

Saturday September 17th | 3:30 – 4:30 PM | Yurt

Anyone can grow mushrooms for food or for a local market. Learn to grow mushrooms as a food to enhance health, recycle organic materials on site and as a cash crop. This workshop will present several choices of mushrooms that are suited to these uses, including Hen of the Woods, King Stropharia, Oyster Mushroom, Turkey Tail Mushroom and Shitake Mushroom. We will discuss several methods for growing these using local organic waste products.

Presented By: Theresa Halula